


Mea Culpa

by venea_taur



Category: Salvation (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23647357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venea_taur/pseuds/venea_taur
Summary: A month after the appearance of the not-an-asteroid, Darius decides he has some apologies to make. Originally a 5+1, now a 6+1.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Mea Culpa

**Author's Note:**

> I am working on my other stories. Sort of... It's complicated.

Contrary to popular opinion, Darius does know how to apologize. Okay, so he’s terrible at it but he’s human and he’s learning. The truth is, he doesn’t like apologies. It means showing weakness which may (usually is) used against him. And, it runs against his training.

Still he has some apologies to make and his first is in his hospital bed because he wasn’t as recovered as they thought from torture and the subsequent coma. That apology is to Grace.

She’s stuck by his side since he collapsed in the field when they were waiting for the not-an-asteroid to do something. The piercing shrill was back in his head, so sharp that he couldn’t breathe. They’ve told him he had another seizure. It still happens even a week after waking up from his collapse. The mind-shattering headaches and seizures. They’re trying to balance out both with medication, but it takes time. His brain is also taking time to realign itself from the trauma. It has him physically and mentally exhausted but there are moments when he’s free of pain and can think.

“Grace, I…,” Darius swallows. Briefly, he loses the nerve to have this conversation. It’s now or never, he fears. “I want to apologize to you.”

“Apologize? For what?” Grace gives him a puzzled look.

“I took advantage of you, pushed you to be something you weren’t. Right from the beginning when I asked to share government secrets and to steal uranium. These past seven months, well six, I’ve put you in continuously dangerous situations with little thought for your own feelings.”

“No, Darius, I wanted to do something. I wanted to help. I had to help.”

“I know and I knew that you would do anything to save your daughter, even if it meant breaking the law and betraying someone you loved.”

“You’re right, Darius. I would do anything for her and I made those decisions on my own. You didn’t force me into anything. So, you can make your apologies, but they’re wasted. They’re not needed.”

Darius smiles lightly. “As you wish but I will always apologize for my actions. They were thoughtless and dangerous.”

“Is that it?” Grace has been around Darius long enough to know that there’s something else weighing on him. She can see that even though he’s growing tired and a headache is brewing, there’s more on his mind.

“Yes. I need to take a break from whatever we have, from us. We need to take a break.”

“From whatever we have? Darius, what do you mean?” She freezes at his words.

“What I mean is that we need some time to heal. This asteroid has changed us, Grace. It’s changed me and I need some time to process that.”

“This is about me marrying Harris.” She looks down, teary-eyed as she mindlessly rubs at the fading indent where the ring was. They’re still waiting on their divorce to be finalized. As it turns out once the world shuts down, it’s not easy to get restarted. “I told you, it was just to save Zoe. There wasn’t anything between us anymore.”

“I know and I’d do the same to save Liam and Alycia, even Jillian. Parents will go to the ends of the earth to save their children.”

“But you still can’t trust me.”

“No, I just… I need time, Grace. Everything’s been turned upside down and I need time.”

“So, this is it? We’re…we’re breaking up?”

“I don’t know. It may not be permanent, but I can’t be with you if I’m not sure of myself, of who I am.”

“I love you, Darius. I love the man you are.” Grace is crying now.

“And I love you, Grace but I can’t be with you right now. I can’t and I need you to understand and respect that. I may be able to in time, but not right now. I would… I would be just leading you on.”

Grace nods, tears flowing freely. After a moment, she hesitantly agrees.

“O… okay.”

Darius knew that this was the likely outcome, but he doesn’t like that he’s upset her. She doesn’t stay long after their conversation, leaving sometime after he’s dozed off.


End file.
